Police chiefs ask CRTC to address cell phones with 911 speed dial

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police is calling on the federal government and the CRTC to address the sale of cell phones that have a single button to dial 911.

“We’ve done research through different provinces and the amount of calls that we’re getting in our dispatch centres from people accidentally dialling 911 is causing us concern,” says CACP president Chief Clive Weighill.

In Metro Vancouver alone, E-comm receives about 100,000 “pocket dials” and hang-ups every year that take up a lot of time from police and call takers.